A/N: Here's chapter 3! And look, its long!

Disclaimer: CCS is not mine.

Third Time's a Charm

Chapter 3: Friends

In the morning when Sakura returned to her room after breakfast, she was surprised to find that Syaoran was still dressed in his usual robes.

"Aren't you going to change?" She asked as she closed the door.

"I am going to change now." He said.

Sakura immediately put her hand back on the doorknob.

"Then, I better leave."

"No need," He said coolly and Sakura turned to look at him, curious.

Syaoran closed his eyes and his clothes vegan to change. They changed and twisted until finally, there was Syaoran, fully dressed in the boys' uniform of her school.

He opened his eyes, looked at his clothes and smiled a small smile of satisfaction, and looked at Sakura, his expression serious again.

Sakura was very surprised, "How did you do that?"

"My robes can change their appearance," He explained, "A Genie's robes can do that once the Genie comes of age."

"Comes of age? Like when you're twenty? (1)" Sakura asked.

Syaoran smiled, "Genies have a different definition to coming of age than humans do. It basically means that a Genie's magical abilities are fully awakened."

Sakura listened intently, taking in all of this new information.

Syaoran continued, "Every Genie is born with magical abilities, only until he or she comes of age, it can only be used in small amounts. Coming of age can occur between the ages of fifteen till thirty, and once it does happen, the Genie is considered an adult." He finished explaining.

All Sakura could say was, "Wow." And then she remembered what she out to be doing. She handed Syaoran a bag that looked old, "That was my brother's, but you can you that now, and later, we'll buy everything that you will need."

"Thank you," He said.

"You better go to school now, before me, so no one would get suspicious."

"Sure." Syaoran agreed and immediately vanished.

Sakura left the house three minutes later.

-

When she arrived to school, Syaoran was already there.

She was just about to greet him when someone behind her called, "Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura jumped and turned around. "Don't do that!" She said and placed a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The girl immediately apologized and looked worried.

"It's okay, just don't that again, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura smiled and looked at the girl, who also smiled.

Daidouji Tomoyo was Sakura's best friend and second cousin. With her long dark hair, amethyst eyes and fair complexion, it was no wonder that the people in the school have dubbed her "The Porcelain Princess".

Sakura turned around to find that Syaoran was gone.

Probably at the school, she thought and turned back to Tomoyo.

"Who was the boy you were about to talk to?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

Sakura tried not to flinch, Tomoyo-chan's perceptive, she thought wryly.

"He just moved to town, and I met him a few days ago." She quickly lied.

"Really?" Tomoyo looked surprised, "I haven't heard of anybody around our age that moved here," Then she shrugged and in a stage whisper told Sakura, "Maybe he'll be in our class."

Sakura didn't thought about that maybe Syaoran will be in a different class. "Yeah, maybe," She said, "shall we go?"

And both girls entered the school building.

-

"Class, this is Li Syaoran, he just transferred here from Hong Kong." The teacher said.

"Yoroshiku. (2)" Syaoran bowed a little and stood straight again.

"Now, Li-san, you will sit…" The teacher examined the classroom, "behind Kinomoto-san. Kinomoto-san, please raise your hand."

Sakura did and lowered it immediately, smiling when Syaoran passed her.

-

After school, Sakura and Syaoran went to the mall to buy school supplies for Syaoran.

Sakura bought everything that Syaoran will need from a list and from time to time stopped to find him standing next to things like a ruler or an eraser or even a stapler and asking her what these things were. He seemed to be coolly fascinated by them.

Actually he acted coolly toward her all day, she reflected, but eventually dismissed it. Maybe Syaoran was just nervous about the school.

-

After three days Sakura discovered that it weren't nerves that were Syaoran problem.

They were in her room, she was sitting near her desk, working on homework, and Syaoran was sitting the carpet, doing the exact same thing. Neither had spoken.

The silence was starting to get to Sakura. It was the same kind of silence she had received in the last three days.

Finally, she snapped. "That's it!" She said and swiveled to look at Syaoran was looking at her coolly confused.

"Is something the matter?" He asked calmly. This calm and cool was also the same she had received from him in the last three days.

"Yeah, something is the matter, you!" She pointed at him accusingly. It was good to finally let out her frustration.

"Me?" He asked.

"Yes, you," She got up and started pacing the room, glaring at him from time to time as she spoke, "you've been giving me the cold shoulder from three days, you treat me like some sort of distant acquaintance of yours, answering everything with the same kind of tone! Why are treating me like this? I thought we were friends!" And with that she stopped, turned to him and folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot in annoyance. "Well?"

"We're not friends," He simply said.

Sakura gaped and stopped tapping her foot, "What?" She asked quietly.

"I mean, we can't be friends," He said, and for the first time in three days he lost that cool quality to his voice and Sakura recognized the Syaoran she had first met.

Sakura was confused and she just stood there, her arms no longer folded and at her sides, "Why not?" She asked.

"Because every master I befriended died." He said quietly and there was pain in his eyes.

Sakura now looked determined, "Okay, tell the whole story and I'll be the judge of that." She said firmly.

"Are you certain you want to hear it?" He asked.

"Yes." She said with finality.

"Just remember that it was you who wanted to hear this," He warned and took a deep breath.

"After my bottle was tossed to the Void, I ended up in your dimension, the Human World," He began his story.

"The Void?" Sakura asked.

"It the space between dimensions, there is nothing there so we call it the Void." Syaoran explained.

"Anyway," Hew continued, "my bottle was tossed here and landed in a village in the country of Japan. According to your time, that was over 500 years ago." He stopped when he saw Sakura eyes widen.

"500 years?" She said incredulously, "You were in the Sengoku Jidai! (3)"

"So you do know your history," He smiled wryly, "Yes, I was in the Sengoku Jidai." He said, "Shall I continue my story?"

"What? Oh, yes, of course." She said, still a little dazed.

"As I was saying, my bottle landed in a village in Japan, one of the villagers found it, and thought it would make a nice present for the Daimyo (4) who lived in the castle near the village. So, he gave the bottle to the Daimyo and he was the one who was the first to release me." He stopped and his eyes softened.

"The Daimyo's mane was Hiroshi and the clan he ruled was called Matsushiro. He was young, in his twenties and inherited his title only recently, because his father had died from disease. He was also married and had 2 sons, twins." Syaoran felt like he was reliving the past.

"At first, Hiroshi-sama thought I was a kami-sama of some sort, but when I explained to him who I was and why I'm here; he seemed to accept my story without questions. And so I stayed at Matsushiro Castle."

"Hiroshi-sama didn't treat his servants, Samurai or even me as people who were not his equal. He and his family have treated everyone as if they were a part of their family, and the people adored him. So it didn't take long for to befriend him."

In this he stopped and looked at Sakura, who was listening intently to his story, "Do you want to hear the rest?"

"Yes, please." She smiled, but stopped when she saw the Syaoran face had a bleak expression.

"Fine. As I was saying, I became friends with Hiroshi-sama. Everything seemed perfect and I no longer cared that I was imprisoned or not. Hiroshi-sama had said that I was like the brother he never had, and that I would always find a home in his castle. I thought life were perfect." His tone hardened, "I was wrong."

"What happened?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"On the last day of the three months, Hiroshi-sama said that he was going to release me and make me an official brother to him. I was very happy and couldn't wait to tell my parents when I get back. But fate had other plans. That night the castle was attacked by Samurai from a neighboring state, the castle was destroyed, most of the servants died, but finally, the Matsushiro clan was victorious. When I went to see Hiroshi-sama before midnight came, I saw that he was dead. He died from several arrows that hit his body in vital points. The last thing I was before I was sucked to my bottle was his wife, crying and holding the twins. I never saw them again."

Sakura had a feeling that this was only a part of his story, "That's not all, right?"

"No, that's not all," He said, "The next time I was released was in Meiji 10 (5), by a young man of nineteen called Wakahisa Arata." His eyes soften again.

"Arata-san was like you in a way, he also didn't want to be called 'sama' because he was only a farmer's son and recently employed in one of the offices in the government, working as a secretary to one famous statesman. He said that was his only to provide for him and his siblings because their parent had died from a fire a year before he met me. Arata-san was very happy to hear I was a genie and could he support his family, but he never exploited me. He was always kind and said that he also somehow imprisoned in his lifestyle, so that we were even."

"So I and Arata-san became friends, and I was like a second older brother to his siblings. Life was happy once more and I really thought that this time, when the three months will end, I would be free and live like this always, but I was wrong again." And again there was pain in his eyes.

"On the last day of the three months, late in the night, I and Arata-san were walking home. Arata-san was telling me that he got a promotion and from tomorrow we would live like kings. I was happy for him and just then, my bottle fell from his pocket. I got down to pick it up and heard a gunshot, I immediately looked up to see that Arata-san was face-down in the dirt, and a blood was seeping from his back. I looked around and saw his boss standing there, his gun pointing at our direction. I asked him why and he said the he discovered too much, and was no longer useful, and that Wakahisa enjoy his 'promotion'. I, at once, ran to the nearest clinic, but by the time it was midnight, Arata-san was no longer alive. The last thing I saw was his little brother and sister crying their eyes out. And now, more that a century later, you found me and here we are." He concluded he story.

Sakura just sat there, gaping at him, too speechless to speak. Finally she said," And because of this, you say we can't be friends?"

"We can't be friends, because I don't want to you die as well, and I don't think I will survive another death of a master who was close to me." Syaoran explained.

Sakura immediately shot up from her chair and stood there, hands curled to fist, every inch furious.

"You. Are. A. Jerk!" She said, emphasizing the last word. Syaoran looked surprised, and she continued, "Just because two men who were close to you had died, doesn't mean you have to shut me out too! I once lost someone who was dear to me, but did I went on mourning forever? No! I made friends, went out, faced my family, faced the world. It's true that it still hurts sometimes, but it doesn't eat me alive and I didn't shut off and I don't shut anyone out! So why are you?" And with that she jabbed her finger in his chest.

"Your first master died because there was a battle going on, why do you thing that era was called 'The Sengoku Jidai'!" She jabbed him again. "Your second master died because he worked for a corrupted politician, doesn't this thing used to happen in the Meiji Era, and even today it sometimes happen!" Another jab. "If you thing that because they befriended you, they signed their own death certificate and you're not only a jerk, you're also a jerk that disrespects them!" She gave him a final jab, and turned to open her bedroom door.

She turned around to looked at him; he was now more stunned than surprised and gaped at her.

"It's up to you to accept the past and move on. Think about what I said." And with that she closed the door, and went downstairs.

And around the corner yellow eyes blinked.

-

Syaoran just sat on the bed, staring at nothing. He thought about all that Sakura had said to him, every single word.

"Is it true? Do I really disrespect you, Hiroshi-sama, Arata-san?" He asked his former masters and friends, but knew they couldn't give him an answer.

Just then, the door opened and Syaoran looked toward it, but instead of Sakura, the one who came into the room was a cat, a very large orange cat, with bright yellow eyes. And he was looking directly at Syaoran.

So you're the genie I was hearing about, the cat began, and Syaoran heard him in his mind.

Who are you? Syaoran asked in the same manner, Animal Telepathy was normal for Genies.

My name is Kero, but I'm really called Cerberus, The cat said, sounding a little annoyed by his name.

'Cerberus'? Isn't that the three-headed dog from the…

That's beside the point! Kero quickly interrupted, his full name was always a sore point, oh, why, did have to be named by such an ironic name by a 16-year-old!

Than what is the point? Syaoran quickly asked. This cat was amusing.

The point is: you experienced Sakura's fury. Do you think she was right in what she said? Kero asked and looked at the Genie.

She was…, Syaoran paused and thought. Now, looking back, he apparently let his emotions rule him, his masters' deaths was probably not his fault, maybe they could've died if he wasn't there to begin with.

"She's right." Syaoran said aloud, stunned.

Thought so, Kero said smugly, but Syaoran didn't hear him and Kero did hear Sakura coming back. My work here is done; He said and quickly left the room.

Sakura came through the door, not wondering why it was opened because years with Kero thought her that that cat can open any door.

She quickly went to stand in front of Syaoran who was now standing as well.

All she asked was, "Well?" and waited for his answer.

Syaoran looked at her and said, "You were right." And then he bowed, "I apologize."

"Don't be so formal," Sakura laugh as Syaoran stood straight once more. She extended her arm and smiled, "Friends?"

Since he became familiar with the hand-shaking habit in the Meiji Era, he didn't think I t was odd. He shook her hand and smiled as well, "Friends." He said with certainty.

-

A/N: And that it for this chapter.

Plese R&R!

Glossary:

(1) Second monday of January
Coming of Age (seijin no hi):
The coming of age of 20 year old men and women is celebrated.

(2)(gozaimasu) - pleased to meet you.

(3) Sengoku Jidai- literally: "the age of the country at war", the time period was 1338-1573. Taken from the same source as (1).

(4) Daimyo- A feudal lord who ruled the state he was in, he had Samurai that served under his leadership to protect him and his land against enemies.

(5) Meiji 10 -1877